Friday, February 26, 2010

Home National Sports Business Lifestyles Religion Arts & Culture Pulse Spice Editorial letters Opinion Foodie Sportscope Real Talks Weekend Report PDF's Classifieds Contact About Us Archive Weather

Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report
Seventh-day Adventists read the Bible non-stop By STAFF WRITER ~ Nassau Guardian: Members of the Seventh-day Adventists are of the opinion that it is time that people get back to the Bible and allow it to give guidance and instruction for family and leaders. They say that crime and a sense of lawlessness point to the need for morals and a sense of godliness. With some 87 murders reported in 2009, a rate they say is unacceptable, not to mention the other ills and vices prevalent in the country. With this in mind, on the Seventh-day Adventists Sabbath on Saturday, January 23, they commenced the reading of the Bible in Rawson Square, an activity which ended on Wednesday, January 27. Pastor Leonard Johnson, president of the Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, kicked off the reading with Genesis 1:1-10. Perry Christie, opposition leader, and Pastor Patrick Paul, president of the Bahamas Christian Council followed, each reading 10 verses of scripture. Pastors and church elders of various local churches commenced their 24 hours of non-stop reading book by book inclusive of every chapter and verse. The reading continued all day and all night. In fact, tourists and other curious passers-by stopped and offered to read, and they were allowed to read. The reading of the Bible in Rawson Square was simply one of many activities related to the Bible. Earlier in 2009, Adventists across the West Indies comprising The Bahamas, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman islands wrote the Bible in approximately one hour. This remarkable feat allowed for the total Bible to be penned by members and visitors of all age groups. Organizers hoped that for the persons taking part in the initiative that it was more than writing but hopefully an acquaintance or re-acquaintance with the word and the God of the word. The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:9 that a young man cleanses his ways by clinging to the Word of God. Given this fact, Seventh-day Adventists believe that when men and women return to the Bible, there will be an appreciation for life, law and order. It is hoped that by the exercise of reading the Bible, the nation would have been sensitized to the need to read the Bible daily, as it possesses power to change lives and by extension they say, the nation. Thursday January 28, 2010